Collection: Usborne

Usborne creates books for every age and stage of childhood. At Haliburtons & Co., our Usborne selection spans from sound books and touchy-feely titles for babies and toddlers (ages 1-2), through illustrated classics and reference books for confident readers (ages 5-9), to comprehensive non-fiction and introduction-to series for older children and pre-teens (ages 10+). Each book is clearly marked with a recommended age range to help you choose with confidence. Browse our full Books collection to explore titles from all our publishing partners.

The Animal Orchestra sound books are perennial favourites—introducing children aged 1+ to classical composers like Mozart, Bach and Beethoven through beautifully illustrated scenes with embedded sound chips. Our lift-the-flap educational titles (How Your Body Works, See Inside Computers and Coding) are hugely popular for curious primary schoolers. For older readers, the Illustrated Classics collection and comprehensive reference books like Timelines of World History make excellent gifts that children return to year after year.

Usborne is the UK's largest independent children's book publisher, founded by Peter Usborne in London in 1973. Still a family business—now led by Peter's daughter Nicola—they've spent over 50 years creating engaging, innovative books that children genuinely love to read. Named Children's Publisher of the Year at the 2020 British Book Awards, Usborne is known for making complex topics accessible through clever illustration, interactive elements, and child-centred design. Every book is conceived, written and designed by their in-house team in the UK.

Yes. Since March 2023, all Usborne books are printed on FSC-certified paper from sustainably managed forests. They've also switched to vegetable oil-based inks, which are made from renewable resources and easier to recycle. Usborne partners with Ecologi on reforestation projects—having already planted over 20,000 trees—and actively works to remove single-use plastic from their products, including replacing plastic brushes with wooden ones in their Magic Painting books.

Usborne's range is remarkably broad. At Haliburtons & Co., you'll find classical music introductions (Animal Orchestra series), STEM topics (Computers and Coding, Engineering, AI), history and world cultures (Timelines, Complete Greek Myths), nature and science (See Inside Evolution), practical life skills (Business for Beginners, Politics for Beginners, Law for Beginners), and beautiful literary collections (Complete Shakespeare, Illustrated Stories from Aesop, Illustrated Fairy Tales). Whether a child loves science, history, music or stories, there's an Usborne book to match their interests. For more hands-on learning, explore our Crafts & Activities collection.

Absolutely—Usborne books make wonderful gifts for children of all ages. At Haliburtons & Co., we offer premium gift wrapping using FSC-certified, sustainable paper in a choice of designs. Each gift is hand-wrapped in our plastic-free packaging and can include a personalised message on a Haliburtons & Co. gift card. Simply select gift wrapping at checkout and we'll take care of the rest—perfect for sending directly to the recipient for birthdays, Christmas, or just because.

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